The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Lakeshore Cinemas

By Kenneth Pastushyn    

Oliver Wendell Holmes, a former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court once said “you can’t shout fire

in a crowded theatre.”

But you can shout obscenities at Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick while watching a midnight

screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“What could be better than going to Rocky Horror in Windsor before Halloween,” said Lorne Tyndale,

host of the pre-show, asked a crowded theatre inside the Lakeshore Cinemas in Tecumseh.

“Nothing!” shouted Kyle Pitrie, 24, Tyndale’s co-host. “It brings generations together and it’s going to go

on for another 40 more years.”

For Pitrie, it’s “freaky, fabulous, fun and pure escapism.” At this midnight showing he is dressed as a

cross between Tim Curry’s Dr. Frank N. Furter, that “sweet transvestite” – and the Joker in the Batman

movies. Pitrie calls himself the “Joke N. Furter.”

Pitrie calls Rocky Horror “the greatest, crappiest movie of all time” – a claim that is widely agreed

upon by many film historians. “Don’t ask questions,” said Pitrie. “Just enjoy it.”

Someone else who enjoys it is Keith Allen, 24, who dressed as actor Richard O’Brien’s role as Riff Raff,

the hunch-backed alien handyman.

“I think it’s the cult culture built around it,” said Allen. “A weird and crazy movie that has built a cult

following.”

Allen’s aunt told him stories about her seeing Rocky Horror in the seventies and participating in

the callbacks: shouting obscenities at the actors on screen during long pauses in the script.

Allen’s aunt also told his friend Leslie Furlan about her Rocky Horror experience. Furlan had always liked

the movie but never truly experienced the show at midnight inside a theatre.

“Nobody was showing Rocky Horror and I wanted to bring it to Windsor,” said Furlan, organizer of

the event, who was dressed as Magenta. “So I looked into it – and that’s how it all began.”

Last Saturday at midnight was the fourth annual screening of Rocky Horror at the Lakeshore Cinemas. All the proceeds

are donated to the Canadian Cancer Society for breast cancer research.

Tyndale has been coming to the event for a couple of years and asked if he could take part in the pre-

show this year. He got hooked 30 years ago in Calgary going to the midnight showings on long

weekends.

“For me, it’s making fun of a bad movie,” said Tyndale, dressed as one of the Transylvanians in the

“Time Warp” dance scene. “Without audience participation, the movie sucks.”

Many of the fans of Rocky Horror in attendance did participate. A “Time Warp” dance contest took place

during the pre-show, as did a costume contest. It came down a to a female version of Frank N. Furter

and the winner who was dressed as Brad (Barry Bostwick’s role) in frilly lingerie. “That is one brave

dude,” said Pitrie.

“You have to experience it at the theatre with friends,” said Pitrie. “Even if you come alone you’ll make

new friends.”

For Tyndale, it’s the community that has developed around this movie. He encouraged

every one in the theatre to callback. “If you want to see it in silence, go home.”

Tyndale knows all the callbacks by heart. “I don’t get tired of it,” said Tyndale. “I’d see it every weekend

if I could.”